Are Ekiti teachers afraid?

June 14, 2012 : Our Reader

Ekiti State is noted for academic excellence. Why are the teachers in the state then afraid of writing examinations? If they are sure of their quality, they should not be afraid. Only lazy and unqualified people could be afraid. How would they react to their pupils if they rebel against school/college tests? The state government should publish the performances of Ekiti past pupils in their WAEC and NECO examinations for the past 10 years compared with other 35 states in the country.

This is a time for Fayemi and his team to search their conscience and be faithful to it. They also have the option to shrug off their shoulders and continue in their path of destruction. The bottom line is this: No kangaroo examination will take place in Ekiti State again! These are the chronicles:
1. In a veiled attempt to plant their stooges as Local Government DAs and Treasurers, they purportedly organised an “examination” for them and their anointed candidates emerged. Those who do not have the necessary connections had to pay heavily to survive. At the end of the day, millions of Naira exchanged hands. Those who did not wake up early quickly ran around and were RECALLED.
2. They purportedly organised an “examination” for school principals. It was equally a tale of woes. Party affiliation and ‘whom you know’ determined those who passed and those who got which posting. Some people did not even write the flawed and fake examination and were posted as principals.
3. They re-started the loan program that Segun Oni was granting teachers. During Segun Oni’s regime, loans were granted on first-come-first-served basis. The few ones granted by this regime were through the back door. One must be highly connected to get loans. So, applications of 3, 4 years were bypassed in favour of very recent ones.
With all these, who still expects teachers (or anybody) to believe this people and submit themselves to a charade called TDNA? Never! Until the fraud, manipulation and deceit which are the stocks-in-trade of ythis government are resolved, NOBODY will believe or trust them. The bitter truth is that as long as this government remains in power, education (and in fact all aspect of life in Ekiti) will remain comatose because this is a government built on a foundation of fraud, deceit and manipulation. As long as fraud and manipulation remain the modes of achieving EVERYTHING in this government, teachers will NEVER take their purported examination. If they like, they can politicise ALL the other aspect of life BUT NOT the education sector. In decent lands, seniority, experience and merit are the yardsticks for getting ANYTHING. But in this government, it is through party patronage, fraud and deceit. What the teachers need for them to give high productivity is motivation. On the contrary, this government and its strategists believe that threat, intimidation and blackmail are the best tools. We are all waiting to see how these will work! They can threaten fire and brimstone. Once again, they have the options to act on this message or discard it as usual. Whichever option they choose, the consequence is there!

Columnists

"Mr Orubebe, you are former minister of the Federal Republic, you are a statesman in your own right and you must be careful about what you say and about the allegations or accusations that you make and certainly you must be careful about your public conducts."

INEC's Chairman, Attairu Jega cautioning Orubebe over his conduct during the release of the Presidential election results.